Irish Coffee Ice Cream

Please note, there is a slightly different version of this recipe of this in the Book of Sweet Things. If you wish, you can substitute the instant coffee here for 200 ml espresso, reduced to 1/3 volume.

1. Beat in the egg yolks with the the sugar until thick and pale yellow.2. Bring the milk to a low simmer.3. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.4. Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.5. Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!6. Immediately remove from the heat.7. Stir a small amount of the warm mix into the instant coffee, until dissolved.8. Add to the custard.9. Transfer the custard into a small container, cover, and refrigerate until cool (5C).10. Stir in the whiskey.11. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks – don’t over-whip).12. Fold the cream (gently stir) into the custard.13. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

If you’re using a domestic ice cream machine, transfer to a freezer-proof covered container when the ice cream has achieved a semi-solid consistency (around 15 minutes). Place it in the freezer, and continue to freeze until it is solid.

Yield: 8 servings

Note:

To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, though! If the custard goes any higher than 76C, the eggs will scramble. Immediately cover and place in the freezer until cool.